Category Archives: Festivals

Competition: NYE Dublin – This is what you should be doing

  By Darren Byrne | December 11, 2012 - 12:00 pm | Featured Post, Festivals, Gigs, Music, The Culch
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NYE Dublin Festival 2011 concert

I am mad about New Year (far more than Christmas itself). I buy into the symbolism of it – out with the old and in with the new. So, I love to mark each one differently. This year, now that I’ve returned to city centre living, I’m embracing the New Year in Dublin. NYE Dublin, Dublin’s New Year’s Festival, marks the start of The Gathering Ireland 2013! To celebrate, we’re offering 5 pairs of tickets to the NYE Dublin Countdown Concert, featuring the delicious Imelda May and the brilliant Bell X1. Dublin’s New Year Festival is even bigger this year and now that I’m living in city centre, there will be no better place than Dublin’s city centre streets to celebrate the arrival of 2013. Even Lonely Planet has named Dublin as one of the Top 5 places in the world to spend New Year, so you don’t want to … There’s more →

Spirit of Folk Festival 2012

  By Culch.ie | December 7, 2012 - 2:00 pm | Festivals, Music, The Culch
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As we come to the cold end of a very hectic year, a few of us are looking back over the highlight of our Summer season – anyone who has read culch regularly will know how much we loved Spirit of Folk. It’s a small festival with a big heart and, this year they managed to keep the same atmosphere and sense of community amongst the festival goers. Anto, Peter and Brian, who were there last year, were joined by Blots, Darren, Elly, Phillip and Sarah so this post will contain contributions from a few of us. A SOFF megapost if you will. Anto: I’d been in two minds about attending SOF last year. I didn’t know a lot about it and I wasn’t really up for a weekend of camping. In hindsight, I’m so glad I went and I’d been looking forward to the second year for months. This … There’s more →

My Time At A Festival: Spirit of Folk 2012

  By Peter | November 6, 2012 - 11:55 am | Festivals
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I’m gonna have to start my look back on Spirit of Folk 2012 with this piece of audio that was a #soff12 Sodshow special. Textually, it really does save about 4 gizillion paragraphs of what if’s and Aimsir Modh Coinníollach‘s that we who were there in year one wondered about….. pre us getting there. Scroll to 5 mins 52 seconds: listen to ‘A Spirit of Folk Festival 2012 Special ’ on Audioboo Of the gig, the festival, my time there it’s tough to pick highlights. There were gigs and bands and people I heard talk; things I saw and people I met and by the time I realised that I should have recorded that in audio or in picture, that moment was gone and passed. It was that good and so very easy to simply get lost in time. Class example: Bunoscionn doing Trad Side of the Moon – yup, … There’s more →

Festival: We’re almost ready for Spirit of Folk 2012

  By Anto | September 17, 2012 - 11:40 am | Festivals, Music, The Culch
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We’ve been gearing up for this for months and it’s only a few days to go now. Spirit of Folk, shortlisted in 2011 for ‘Best New Festival’ in the European Festival awards, returns this weekend (September 21st-23rd). Festival Organisers are eager to stress that the event is much more than your average music festival with an eccentric array of activities on offer all weekend to delight and entertain audiences. With Traditional Storytelling from Ireland’s best Seanachaí, Eddie Lenihan and Pat Speight, interactive Viking re-enactments, Falconry displays, Archery lessons, Battle Re-enactments and Wildlife Walks ran by the Wildlife Trust, Spirit of Folk promises to deliver to those seeking an alternative family weekend. Culch.ie’s own Peter Donegan will be giving a gardening talk on Saturday at 1.45pm so make sure to get along to that. Folk music enthusiasts will not be disappointed either, with Irish folk legends John Spillane, Tír na nÓg … There’s more →

Competition: Win 2 Weekend Passes To The Spirit of Folk Festival 2012

  By Peter | August 28, 2012 - 4:54 pm | Competitions, Festivals
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**** Competition closed  **** Yup you read it correctly, you could get your mawlers on 2 fantabulous weekend passes to Ireland’s loveliest Festival, The Spirit of Folk 2012  – And all ye gotta do is leave a comment saying why you want ‘em. Below, in the comment box. Funkiest comment wins. If ye dunno what funkiest means, I hear Lady Gaga is playing somewhere soon. Or you could watch the best of the Glee box set. Or spend your pocket money on some David and Victoria perfume. Back to to it, Frankie says relax, go fort, leave a comment. Win yourself something happy. Be a folker.   More info on The Spirit of folk Festival ? website: spiritoffolk.com facebook: spirit of folk festival  Spirit of Folk in iTunes twitter: @spirit_of_folk

Spirit of Folk Festival 2012 Returns

  By Peter | August 15, 2012 - 7:24 pm | Festivals, The Culch
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The Spirit of Folk festival is without question the lovliest festival I have ever been to in my life. Just about to hit 2 years of age, I was there last year, loved every second of it and proud to say it, I’m headed back for year 2. To describe it, is tough. Q the brains behind the scenes, Natasha and Caroline and a little of Lisa O’Neill from 2011. listen to ‘ Natasha and Caroline @ The Spirit of Folk Festival 2012 Launch’ on Audioboo Spirit of Folk runs from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd September. Weekend camping tickets start at €85. Day tickets cost €45, and children under 14 can go free. More information on the festival, including the full line-up and range of activities can be found at www.spiritoffolk.com Back to the wonderful fairytale that is the grounds of Dunderry Park, Co. Meath #SoF12 returns from September … There’s more →

Want tickets to Electric Picnic 2012? Get tweet hunting

  By Anto | August 13, 2012 - 11:10 am | Competitions, Festivals
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We’re fans of the Electric Picnic here on culch and this year’s lineup looks excellent with bands like The Cure, Orbital, Elbow and Hot Chip rocking Stradbally from the 31st August to the 2nd of September (full lineup here – PDF). So you want tickets? Well, the Electric Ireland Tweet Hunt is back for 2012 and frankly we’re not surprised as it was a runaway success last year. From Monday 13th (today) to Friday 17th August inclusive, Electric Ireland are giving one lucky person four tickets to EP – that’s five days, five winners and four tickets each. What have you got to do? Simples: 1). Follow @ElectricIreland on Twitter. 2). Tweet the following hashtag: #sharetheenergy which will zoom the live map in on a location. The more tweets, the closer the zoom. 3). Get to the location and keep your eyes peeled for the revealing of the hidden codeword. … There’s more →

Music Festival: Spirit of Folk 2012 – The Line Up

  By Peter | May 24, 2012 - 11:37 am | Festivals
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  Spirit of Folk Festival Unveils Line-up and Announces Extra Night   Taking place in the idyllic surroundings of Dunderry Park, Co Meath [and they are very idyllic...] from September 21st to 23rd, Spirit of Folk 2012 Ireland’s friendliest festival, as nominted by me returns again with another whopper of a line up and all things razzz-a-mataz. Wasn’t that a tv show way back when ? More to the point, I was there for year one with Messrs McGuinness and Greene. I will be back for year 2. Back to it… This year’s Spirit of Folk festival line up features some new great additions like John Spillane, The Lost Brothers, Lisa O’Neill, David Gray; I Draw Slow, Spook of the Thirteenth Lock. Other acts of note see The Hot Sprockets return; Mossy Nolan and Brian Greene’s latest favourite The Henry Girls. To accompany this feast of musical acts, there will be an … There’s more →

Sea Sessions 2012 Non-music, Fun bits!

  By seanear1ey | April 26, 2012 - 1:07 pm | Festivals, The Culch
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So, we’ve been looking up the treats on offer ahead of our summer trip to Bundoran, and if you thought Sea Sessions was purely the choons and the sandy sambos you were dead wrong! The festival also incorporates surf and sports events to boot and will host the UK and Ireland’s only Association of Surfing Professionals European specialty event. The more we hear about it, the more we can’t wait to get to Donegal this June to experience the likes of this stuff. Take a look, because a lot of requires advance booking. The Barefoot Wine Expression Session: 29th June–1st July Taking place during the festival weekend the ‘Barefoot Wine Expression Session with Billabong’ has €3000 worth of prizes including an 11 day sumatrian ‘Surf-cruise’ worth €2200 for best Irish Surfer. The main event will feature an event of Europe’s Top Waveriders! The event will be captured on video and posted … There’s more →

Festival: Spirit of Folk launch 2012

  By Anto | April 12, 2012 - 9:50 pm | Events, Festivals, Gigs, Music, The Culch
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Myself and Peter popped along to the Spirit of Folk festival launch last week in Whelans. We were treated to a brilliants night of entertainment with TRAZ, Bunoscionn, The Young Folk and The Hot Sprockets. We had a chat to Martin & Natasha Duffy who are behind the festival on what they have in store for 2012: listen to ‘The @spirit_of_folk 2012 Launch #sof12’ on Audioboo Tickets are on sale now with day tickets for €35 and a weekend one for €65/family €120. You can find them at spiritoffolk.com, on Facebook here and Twitter at: @spirit_of_folk

The Format: Sea Sessions Launch 2012

  By seanear1ey | April 10, 2012 - 2:38 pm | Events, Festivals, Music, The Culch, Tourism
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We recently headed down to the Workman’s Club for the launch of this year’s Sea Sessions Surf & Music festival. The Bundoran beach fest takes place from June 29th to July 1st and this year features one of its best line-up’s to date. Complete with must-see recommendations from the likes of Phantom’s Derek Byrne, Goldenplec‘s Aidan Cuffe and the Indo’s Aidan Coughlan, here’s our festival preview.  

Festivals: Titanic Lockdown 2012

  By Laura | March 26, 2012 - 9:00 am | Festivals, Music
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We won’t lie. News of the Titanic Lockdown Festival made us genuinely concerned we’d piss ourselves with excitement. Launching Belfast’s Titanic celebrations on the 31st of March; Titanic Lockdown is billed as a ‘boutique’ festival in the heart of the docks. The (FREE!) daytime programme will feature an indoor village with street art, urban sports demos, fashion & jewellery making workshops, ‘Stare Wars’ (Que?), Wii Olympics, Magic, Face painting, Fire & Light Shows, DJ sets, live performances from leading local acts and a continental food market. The day events are taking place between 12pm and 6pm at T13, the enormous skate park/cultural space building in the Titanic Quarter. Come 7pm, ticket holders can see performances from Roots Manuva, Gilles Peterson, London’s Soul Jazz Sound System and many more to be announced. That’s not bad for £25 eh? The outdoor events take place under the great big yellow Harland & Wolff … There’s more →

Festivals: Tennent’s Vital 2012

  By Laura | March 21, 2012 - 10:11 am | Festivals, Music
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Have you ever wanted to get pissed outside a B&Q without anyone judging you? WELL NOW IS YOUR CHANCE. Nordieland’s Tennent’s Vital returns in 2012 with one of its strongest line ups yet. Relocating from Bangor to the Boucher Playing Fields in Belfast, the festival seems to get bigger and better each year. On the 21st of August, Foo Fighters make their long over-due NI debut accompanied by The Black Keys. On 22nd August, The Stone effin Roses bring their reunion tour to Belfast with she-of-the-big-lungs Florence & the Machine as support. We don’t know about you but that’s a damn good start to a line up. Tennent’s Vital 2012 looks set to the most fun you can have in a field this summer that doesn’t involve being arrested. Presale Tickets, if you are quick off the mark, are available by the book of the Face here: www.facebook.com/tennentsvital. For everyone … There’s more →

Music: Spirit of Fund – A Spirit of Folk Fundraiser

  By Anto | March 21, 2012 - 10:10 am | Festivals, Music
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UPDATE: Tickets are now on sale for 24 hours at €50 for a weekend ticket. Get ‘em here. We raved about the Spirit of Folk festival last year so we’re giving you a heads up on this one. The 2012 festival takes place from 21st-23rd September and they’re hosting a fundraiser in Whelans on Thursday 29th March @ 7.30pm (tickets: €10). Weekend tickets for the festival will be available for €50 (24 hours only) and the folktastic lineup for the Whelans gig includes: The Hot Sprockets The Young Folk Bunoscionn and TRAZ There’ll also be a raffle with prizes from camping tickets to dinners for two in some fancy schmancy restaurants. You can read about 2011 festival here: Day 1, Day 2 & Day 3 and there’s tons more content here: Photos: Anto’s Flickr and Peter’s pix.ie account Audio: Peter’s audioboo account Video: Culch.ie’s Youtube and Peter’s Vimeo. I’ll update … There’s more →

Festivals: Body and Soul 2012

  By seanear1ey | March 20, 2012 - 2:23 pm | Festivals, Music, The Culch
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Villagers you say? Oh and M83? Well it’s only the ruddy Body and Soul festival! That what? The Body&Soul festival. Keep up! Started 3 years ago the festival has bounded and leapt from strength to cliché. This year sees the Uber-cool Summer Solstice-based festival return with their best line-up to-date. Don’t take our word for it (we’ll shut our dirty lying mouths) but the good folks at Body& Soul are definitely to be trusted with a line-up announcement as good as this. Who couldn’t help but love ‘em? M83, Villagers, St. Vincent, Little Dragon and Tieranniesaur are amongst the fifteen acts announced today with more to come! With the inevitable vacuum left in Oxegen’s departure from the festival circuit for this year, it is definitely the year for the smaller festivals to grow their audiences and Body&Soul is definitely in for a bumper year. Tickets usually sell out fast to … There’s more →